Inspired by Lew Bryson’s theories—as well as his cinematic allusions—All About Beer staff decided to see how beer sequencing could enhance or destroy some of our favorite beers. We headed to our local, and lined up fourteen diverse beers, all favorites we were familiar with. Then, in a fairly unsystematic way, we sampled pairs of... View Article

Back in the 1990s, I was hanging out with my brothers-in-law in Richmond. Richmond is a great place for a history buff like me, and it’s got a neat aspect for the beer-lover, too: Richmond is a common test market for new beer ideas. Which is how we came to be passing around a bottle... View Article

Martin Van Buren (1837-1841): He earned the nickname “Blue Whiskey Van” early in his political career because while campaigning in taverns, he was able to put away huge amounts of alcohol without appearing drunk.

The U.S. presidency carries with it an awesome amount of power and responsibility. That’s the case whether you are talking about nuclear arms—or beer. Public policy shapes everything from the price to the availability of the beer we enjoy. Whether it is a new tax on beer or farm subsidies, politics have an impact on... View Article

Poland has a cruel nickname: “The country on wheels.” For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was ruled by Austro-Hungary, Russia and Germany, and then became a satrapy of the Soviet Union for 50 grim years. Its modern borders bear little relation to the ones it enjoyed a century and a half ago.... View Article

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As the air gets crisper and the leaves burn brighter, beer lovers turn their thoughts from summer quenchers to richer fall offerings. And no brew more appropriately fits the autumnal season, in both palate and appearance, than the coppery Märzen/Oktoberfest. Oddly named after two calendar months (Märzen is German for March), or more specifically a... View Article

I hear you started homebrewing in high school. Yeah, I did. My entire life changed my junior year in high school in 1995. I went over to my friend’s house after school one day, and I walked into the house to say hello. His dad and a friend were making beer on the stove. And... View Article

Brouwerij Het Anker Mechelen, Belgium Imported by: Wetten Imports Sterling, VA “Hopsinjoor” is a wordplay referring both to the several hops used in the beer, and to the folk character “Opsinjoor” whose story is traditional in the Belgian city of Mechelen. ABV: 8 ABW: 6.37 Color: blond Bitterness: n/a Original gravity: 1074

Stone Brewing Co. Escondido, CA Located in North County San Diego, Stone Brewing Co. is known for its often vigorously hopped beers and fierce gargoyle mascot. ABV: 6.9 ABW: 55 Color: 10 Bitterness: 77 Original gravity: 1064

Philadelphia Brewing Co. Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia Brewing Co. has been brewing beer in the Kensington section of Philadelphia for nearly seven and a half years. Their line of ales became available in March of this year. ABV: 5.5 ABW: 4.4 Color: 18 Bitterness: 25 Original gravity: 1052

Brugge Brasserie Indianapolis, IN In 1934, the monks of Westmalle brewed the first tripel, a blonde ale of higher alcohol, very likely based on a blonde beer that had been brewed sporadically since 1931. ABV: 9.9 ABW: 7.8 Color: n/a Bitterness: 27 Original gravity:1090

Brouwerij Van Steenberge Ertvelde, Netherlands Imported by: Global Beer Network Middleton, MA The Gulden Draak is named for the statue of a golden dragon that for 700 years has topped a belfry in the city of Ghent. ABV: 10.5 ABW: 8.4 Color: 50 Bitterness: 18 Original gravity: 1084